CHANDIGARH: Punjab industrialists have threatened to oppose Congress candidates in the upcoming civic body election on December 17. They are miffed with the party members as they have failed to get the promised Rs 5 per unit power to the industries. Now, the additional chief secretary of the power department told TOI on Tuesday that there are chances of the state government to issue the notification before the end of December.
Additional chief secretary of the power department, Satish Chandra, said, "We are discussing the issue with the industries department and the matter is likely to come up for discussion at the cabinet meeting scheduled on December 20." He added there is every possibility of issuance of the notification before December 31 to provide power to the industries at Rs 5 per unit.
During a meeting held in Ludhiana on Monday, members of various industries associations from Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Mandi Gobindgarh had warned that in case the state government fails to fulfill its promise by December 20, they would be compelled to launch protests and hunger strikes from December 21 onwards. They also threatened to carry the election manifesto released by the Congress during the protest march.
Accusing the state government of not fulfilling the poll promise to provide power at Rs 5 per unit, the industrialists said that they were not going to pay their old bills at an enhanced power rates.
Earlier to fulfill one of its major poll promises, the Congress-led state government at its cabinet meeting on October 16 had approved the 'New Industrial and Business Development Policy 2017' wherein industrial power tariff was fixed at Rs 5 per unit.
Three municipal corporations—Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala—and 32 municipal councils and nagar panchayats are going for polls on December 17. It was on October 23 that the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) had made an announcement to providing power to the state industries at Rs 5 per unit from November 1.
Additional chief secretary of the power department, Satish Chandra, said, "We are discussing the issue with the industries department and the matter is likely to come up for discussion at the cabinet meeting scheduled on December 20." He added there is every possibility of issuance of the notification before December 31 to provide power to the industries at Rs 5 per unit.
During a meeting held in Ludhiana on Monday, members of various industries associations from Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Mandi Gobindgarh had warned that in case the state government fails to fulfill its promise by December 20, they would be compelled to launch protests and hunger strikes from December 21 onwards. They also threatened to carry the election manifesto released by the Congress during the protest march.
Accusing the state government of not fulfilling the poll promise to provide power at Rs 5 per unit, the industrialists said that they were not going to pay their old bills at an enhanced power rates.
Earlier to fulfill one of its major poll promises, the Congress-led state government at its cabinet meeting on October 16 had approved the 'New Industrial and Business Development Policy 2017' wherein industrial power tariff was fixed at Rs 5 per unit.
Three municipal corporations—Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala—and 32 municipal councils and nagar panchayats are going for polls on December 17. It was on October 23 that the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) had made an announcement to providing power to the state industries at Rs 5 per unit from November 1.
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